Lake of lotus(28) essence of teachings-emptiness-neither existence nor voidness(23)-by vajra master yeshe thaye-dudjom buddhist association

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24
By Vajra Master Yeshe Thaye
Transcribed by To Sau-chu and Byron K.K. Yiu
(Lecture delivered : July 10, 2003)
With that, the “uncommon preliminary practices”
will be the most essential and necessary Dharma
practices for one to go for before entering into the
door of “Vajrayana”. These “uncommon preliminary
practices” are there to help us in cultivating humility,
devotion and faith to the gurus, lineages and their
teachings, and are thus contributing towards the
cultivation of beneficial factors for our own eternal
happiness; while at the same time it helps to purify our
negative and harmful factors.
As a whole, the “uncommon preliminary practices” are
there to prepare ourselves to become suitable vessels
in receiving further teachings from our compassionate
Gurus (including the “uncommon preliminary practice”
of “Guru Yoga”) along the paths of liberation and
enlightenment.
Stages for Dharma Practices in
Vajrayana Buddhism (2)
It is only that one has fulfilled the “uncommon
preliminary practices” that one has been prepared
by now to become a suitable vessel to go for higher
levels of Dharma practices, usually starting with the
Excerpt of Last Chapter
In the process of one’s Dharma practice, there are the
four different aspects of the View, Meditation, Action,
and Fruit that one needs to be fully aware of. It is only
with the different levels of realization that one may
finally be able to attain the different types of “Fruitions”
for one’s spiritual development and attainment.
Yet, at the very beginning, before the practicing of any
“Vajrayana” teachings, it is very important that one has to
start off with the most basic and fundamental “common
preliminary practices” (also known as the “Four Thoughts
that Turn One’s Mind Towards the Holy Dharma”) so
as to develop a strong “mind of renunciation”, with the
“taking of refuge” in the “Triple Gems” (“Triratna” in
Sanskrit), in order to establish a firm and solid foundation
for one’s further spiritual development.
Only after that foundation has been well established before
one can then slowly go forward towards the development
of the “altruistic mind” (or “Bodhicitta” in Sanskrit), together
with a “right view on Emptiness” (of neither existence nor
voidness), in order to prepare oneself to have the right
mentality and the inclination/disposition for the further
elevation in one’s spiritual development.
Lake of Lotus no.28 Back to Content

2. Dudjom Buddhist Association (International)
4th Floor, Federal Centre, 77 Sheung On Street, Chaiwan, Hong Kong
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25
process of initiations (empowerments, “Abhiseka”
in Sanskrit, or “Wang” in Tibetan) (2). In fact, it was
only that one has fulfilled the “uncommon preliminary
practices” that one can then go forward towards the
more advanced practices on the “Three Roots” of the
“Lama, Yidam and Khandro” (3), and so on.
The different kinds of initiations are there to help us to
reveal our own “Buddha Nature” (“Tathagatagarbha”
in Sanskrit) within ourselves, in order that we can be
empowered to further receive and practice the various
teachings so as to attain the fruits of the “Four Kayas”
(four bodies or four dimensions) of Buddhahood. Here
I will only mention their names and some general ideas,
without going into details, on each one of them.
The first initiation is the “Vase Empowerment”
(“Kalaśābhiseka” in Sanskrit, or “Bum pa’i dbang”
in Tibetan). It practices the “Development Stage”
(“Kye-rim” in Tibetan) of visualization, and applies
the “View of the Mind-Only”. The obscurations of
the “channels” (“tsa” in Tibetan) of one’s karmic
body are cleansed, and one’s body is purified and
blessed with the enlightened “vajra body”. It sows
the seed for the attainment of the perfect state of a
‘completely matured vidyadhara’, and enables the
Dharma practitioner to attain the “nirmanakaya” level
of realization. The fruit that it will accomplish is to
become the “Nirmanakaya Buddha” (4).
The second initiation is the “Secret Empowerment”
(“Guhyābhiseka” in Sanskrit, or “Gsang ba’i dbang”
in Tibetan). It practices the “insubstantial aspect” of
the “Completion Stage” (“Dzog-rim” in Tibetan), and
applies the “View of the Middle-Way” in which both the
view and the function are simultaneously important for
application. The obscurations of the “vital airs” (“lung”
in Tibetan) of one’s karmic speech are cleansed,
and one’s speech is purified and blessed with the
enlightened “vajra speech”. It sows the seed for the
attainment of the perfect state of a ‘vidyadhara with
power over life’, and enables the Dharma practitioner
to attain the “sambhogakaya” level of realization.
The fruit that it will accomplish is to become the
“Sambogakaya Buddha” (5).
The third initiation is the “Prajna (transcendent
k n o w l e d g e ) - W i s d o m E m p o w e r m e n t ”
(“Prajñājñānābhiseka” in Sanskrit, or “Shes-rab ye-
shes kyi dbang” in Tibetan). It practices the “substantial
aspect” of the “Completion Stage” (“Dzog-rim” in
Tibetan) in terms of “tsa-lung-thigle” and “inner-
heat” (“tum-mo” in Tibetan), and applies the “View of
the Secret Mantra” in which the “Union of Bliss and
Emptiness” is emphasized. The obscurations of the
“essential fluids and seeds” (“thig-le” in Tibetan) of
one’s karmic mind are cleansed, and one’s mind is
purified and blessed with the enlightened “vajra mind”.
While basing upon the “Unification of View and Action”,
it sows the seed for the attainment of the perfect
state of a ‘mahamudra vidyadhara’, and enables the
Dharma practitioner to attain the “dharmakaya” level of
realization. The fruit that it will accomplish is to become
the “Dharmakaya Buddha” (6).
The fourth initiation is the “Precious Word
Empowerment” (“tshig dbang rinpoche” in Tibetan).
The “Precious Word Empowerment” practices the
“Great Perfection” (“Dzog-pa Chen-po” in Tibetan),
and applies the “View of the Intrinsic Purity” in which
the “Indivisibility of Awareness and Emptiness” is
emphasized, and that the “Substance, Form and
Function” of everything in this whole universe is an
“indivisible unity”. The two kinds of obscurations are
completely cleansed and purified, and one is blessed
to be inseparable with the enlightened “qualities and
Lake of Lotus no.28 Back to Content

3. Dudjom Buddhist Association (International)
4th Floor, Federal Centre, 77 Sheung On Street, Chaiwan, Hong Kong
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26
activities” of all Buddhas. It sows the seed for the
attainment of the perfect state of a ‘spontaneously
accomplished vidyadhara’, and enables the Dharma
practitioner to attain the “svabhavikakaya” level
of realization, which is based on the unification of
“Substance, Form and Function” of “all dharmas
within space” (“Dharmadhatu” in Sanskrit), so as to
ultimately realize them as truly an “indivisible unity” as
a whole. The fruit that it will accomplish is to become
the “svabhavikakaya Buddha” (7).
We are now coming to the end of this talk, and thank
you so much for your kind attention. Here, we would
(2) “Empowerment” is the process of initiation to ripen or
mature one’s own “Buddha Nature” (“Tathagatagarbha” in
Sanskrit) by the awakening of one’s “primordial wisdom”
within oneself. There are four levels of “empowerments”
in “Tibetan Buddhism”, which will enable the Dharma
practitioner to attain the four levels of realization, and to
achieve the fruits of the “Four Kayas” of Buddhahood.
(3) The “Three Roots” (“Tsa sum” in Tibetan) are: (i) the
“Lama” (or “Guru” in Sanskrit) is the “root of blessing”;
(ii) the “Yidam” (or “Ishtadevata” in Sanskrit) is the “root
of accomplishments”; and (iii) the “Khandroma” (or
“Dakini” in Sanskrit) or “Chokyong” (or “Dharmapala” in
Sanskrit) is the “root of activity” or the “root of protection”
respectively.
(4) “Nirmanakaya” (“Sprul pa’i sku” in Tibetan) - the
“Emanation Body” (or the “body of manifestation”),
which is the visible physical forms of all Buddhas, such
as the historical Lord Buddha Shakyamuni.
(5) “Sambogakaya” (“Longs spyod rdzogs pa’i sku”
in Tibetan) - the “Body of Perfect Enjoyment” (or
“perfect endowment”), by which the Buddhas exist as
transcendental beings with clear lights, as some kind of
primordial archetypal deities that manifest themselves in
light-rays.
(6) “Dharmakaya” (“Chos kyi sku” in Tibetan) - the “Truth
Body”, by which the Buddhas are in essence the
primordial nature of the “Ultimate Reality”, or of intrinsic
“Emptiness” (“Shunyata” in Sanskrit)”, which is the
unconditioned, the Absolute Reality of all phenomena.
(7) “Svabhavikakaya” (“Ngo bo nyid kyi sku” in Tibetan) -
the inseparable “Union of the Three Kayas” is known as
the “Svabhavikakaya”, sometimes known as the “Fourth
Kaya”. The fact that the mind is by nature empty, and
that it is in fact the space in which all phenomena
appear (“Dharmadhatu” in Sanskrit), which is beyond
origination and is therefore unceasing in nature. In
this way, we can train in treating confusion as the
“Four Kayas”, which is how they actually are. If we
were to use the metaphor of having the “Dharmakaya”
as the vapour, the “Sambhogakaya” as the fluid of
water, and the “Nirmanakaya” as the ice, then the
“Svabhavikakaya” is the essential nature of them all --
that is, the very nature of “water-ness” itself (or H2O in
scientific term). This method is known as the “unexcelled
protection of Emptiness (“Shunyata” in Sanskrit)”,
since the attainment of “Perfect Enlightenment” (or
“Buddhahood”) is to realize this “ultimate reality” of “all
dharmas within space” (“Dharmadhatu” in Sanskrit) –
the true realm of “Emptiness” – the essence on “Neither
Existence Nor Voidness”.
-- THE END --
like to specially dedicate all the merits of this talk,
if any, to the great health and longevity of our Most
Beloved Wish-fulfilling Crowning Jewel and Root Guru
(Tsawai Lama) His Holiness Chadral Sangye Dorje
Rinpoche, so that the Lotus Feet of His Holiness will
remain unshakable and stand firm in this universe
for thousands of aeons, and continuously uphold
the Victory Banner of the Holy Dharma and turn the
Wheel of the Holy Dharma, for the ultimate benefits of
enlightenment for all our motherly sentient beings, as
limitless as the sky!
SARWA MANGALAM !
Notes:
Lake of Lotus no.28 Back to Content